The aftermath of the sabotage incident left Reika momentarily speechless. She muttered a hasty, insincere apology and made a swift retreat with her Starlight Cascade entourage, her mission a catastrophic failure. The crowd around our booth, however, was now more energized than ever, buzzing with the story of how Mikuyi's mysterious brother had coolly outsmarted a rival idol.
My brief moment as a campus hero was deeply uncomfortable. I just wanted to go back to explaining quantum physics.
Hina, however, saw an opportunity. "Onii-chan," she said, using Ayumi's term for me for the first time, her voice firm and decisive. "Thank you. And Nami-chan, thank you for your help as well. You two should pack up the booth now. The festival staff can take it from here."
"What? But our volunteer shift isn't over for another hour," I protested.
"I'm ending it early," Hina stated, leaving no room for argument. "As a thank you, and because I don't want you out here being harassed by people like Reika, you will both be our special guests backstage."
It was a command disguised as an invitation. It was partly a genuine reward, but I knew it was also a strategic move to get me away from the public eye and, more importantly, away from any other potential rivals who might take an interest in me.
"Backstage?" Nami whispered, her eyes as wide as saucers. For her, this was like winning the lottery. For me, it was like being transferred from a minimum-security prison to a maximum-security one.
"I… I guess," I relented, knowing it was useless to fight.
Hina led us away from the booth and towards the massive stage in the main quad. A security guard waved us through a guarded entrance, and suddenly we were in another world. The cheerful chaos of the festival was replaced by the organized chaos of a professional concert production. Roadies in black t-shirts shouted instructions, cables snaked across the floor like thick black pythons, and the air hummed with the thrum of powerful electronics.
Nami was completely star-struck, her head swiveling in every direction, trying to take it all in. I, on the other hand, navigated the familiar environment with a sense of weary resignation. I'd been dragged backstage to countless events as a kid. To me, it was just a loud, crowded workspace.
"Wow," Nami breathed, looking at the towering stacks of speakers. "This is incredible."
"It's mostly just heavy things and people yelling," I said, deadpan.
Hina was immediately pulled away by a frantic-looking stage manager to discuss an issue with the lighting rig, leaving me and Nami standing awkwardly in the middle of the whirlwind. Before I could suggest we find a quiet corner to hide in, Ayumi appeared, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Onii-chan! Come with me for a second," she said, grabbing my hand. "My costume zipper is stuck. I need your help." She began pulling me towards a hallway lined with dressing rooms, leaving Nami behind.
"Ayumi, the staff has wardrobe assistants for this," I sighed, digging my heels in.
"But they're not as gentle as you," she pouted, giving my arm a tug. "Please? It will only take a second."
It was a classic Ayumi maneuver- creating a flimsy pretext to get me alone. I shot an apologetic look at Nami before letting myself be dragged away.
Just as we disappeared down the hall, Nami found herself face to face with Izuwa, who had been leaning against a stack of equipment cases, watching the entire exchange. Izuwa pushed herself off the cases and walked towards Nami, her usual smirk gone, replaced by an expression of unnerving seriousness.
"He's too nice to say no to her," Izuwa said, her voice low and direct. She stopped in front of Nami, her gaze sharp and penetrating. "You can drop the act now. There are no fans here."
Nami blinked, surprised by the sudden shift in tone. "Act?"
"The cheerful, harmless, super-supportive friend act," Izuwa clarified, her voice dripping with cynicism. "It's good. Very convincing. You won over Hina with your intelligence and Ayumi with your flattery. But I'm not them." She took a step closer. "I know what you are. You're smart. Dangerously smart. You see this whole situation, our whole family, as a game. A puzzle to be solved. And you're enjoying it."
Nami was silent for a moment, her cheerful mask finally slipping to reveal the keen intellect beneath. "It is… interesting," she admitted carefully.
"He's not a puzzle," Izuwa said, her voice dropping to a fierce whisper. "He's my brother. He's been dealing with our world his entire life, and all he wants is a little bit of peace. I don't know what your endgame is. Maybe you just want to date the 'idol's brother'. Maybe you're a genuine friend. I don't really care. But I'm giving you a warning. Don't hurt him. If you cause him any more trouble than we already do, I will make your life very, very difficult."
It wasn't a threat of physical violence. It was something far more chilling. It was a promise of total social and psychological annihilation, delivered by a girl who had the intelligence and the resources to carry it out.
Before Nami could respond, I returned from my "zipper emergency," which had consisted of me zipping up Ayumi's perfectly functional zipper in two seconds. Ayumi was clinging to my arm, looking smug.
Just then, another figure appeared in the backstage area, holding a press pass. It was Reika. She had somehow managed to gain access. Her eyes scanned the area and lit up when she saw me.
"There you are!" she purred, striding over and completely ignoring my sisters and Nami. "I never got to properly thank you for your help earlier. You're amazing with technology. We should talk. My agency is always looking for talented people." She pulled out her phone. "Give me your number. We'll have dinner."
The atmosphere became electric. Ayumi's grip on my arm tightened to a painful degree. Izuwa's eyes narrowed into slits. Hina, having just returned from her lighting crisis, took in the scene with a look of cold fury.
And Nami, standing just a few feet away, watched as this rival idol brazenly flirted with me. She saw the possessiveness of my sisters, the predatory nature of Reika, and the utter chaos that surrounded me. And as she watched me stand there, looking completely overwhelmed, she felt a strange, protective pang in her chest that she couldn't quite identify. It was a feeling that went far beyond simple friendship.